You may remember a few weeks ago that we ran a guest blog by our Commercial Manager Sian Stone on her marathon effort to raise funds to tackle the asbestos-related cancer mesothelioma.
Sian set herself the target of raising £200 by running at least 50 miles – or the length of nearly two marathons – during February for Mesothelioma UK.
We are proud to reveal that Sian smashed both targets and has raised £720 after completing 62.1 miles – or 100km – for the charity.
Sian said: “There were days where I really enjoyed running and others where I really struggled but the thought of what I was doing for the charity kept me going.
“I’m hugely grateful to everyone who sponsored me. Every penny will go to Mesothelioma UK which is a brilliant charity that provides specialist mesothelioma information, support and education, and is working hard to improve care and treatment for all UK mesothelioma patients and their carers.
“Please remember that lots of us can help to ensure that other people do not develop this devastating cancer. If you have a building which is more than 20 years old it may contain asbestos and you have a legal responsibility to ensure any asbestos is effectively monitored and managed to ensure the safety of anyone who may come into contact with it. If you need help with this, please contact our friendly team at Acorn.”
Everyone at Acorn is hugely proud of Sian and would like to congratulate her on this fantastic achievement for Mesothelioma UK.
And, as Sian said, if you need help to manage your asbestos visit https://www.acorn-as.com or call our team on 0844 818 0895 or Contact Us
We’re also very proud to reveal that another of our colleagues has been bitten by the fundraising bug.
Asbestos Surveyor Dan Crask has been with us for over three years and is a valued member of our team. He has also agreed to put on his running shoes and will be aiming to run 100km during March in aid of Mental Health UK. Here’s what Dan had to say about his fundraising.
Dan’s Story
Running is a fairly new thing for me. I started running during the first lockdown to lose some weight but before that I couldn’t run a mile.
I’ve kept running since the first lockdown and decided I wanted to use it to raise money for charity after hearing about Sian’s efforts for Mesothelioma UK and another friend who was running for a good cause.
I’ve chosen to run for Mental Health UK which is close to my heart because I suffered with mental health problems a few years ago. It is a fantastic organisation which brings together four UK charities – Rethink Mental Illness in England, Support in Mind Scotland, Hafal in Wales and MindWise in Northern Ireland. It works hard to support people affected by mental health problems, including friends, family and carers.
I think everyone is aware that lots of people have struggled with their mental health during the past year due to the additional pressures brought about by Coronavirus and lockdown. The truth is one in four people in the UK are affected by mental health issues every year. In fact, poor mental health affects more people every year than cancer or heart disease.
Sadly, suicide is a significant national issue. The latest figures for 2019 revealed there were 5,691 registered deaths by suicide in England and Wales which equates to 18 suicides per day. Suicide is the single biggest killer of men under the age of 45 in our country and a recent report by the British Journal of Psychiatry revealed about 7% of children have attempted suicide by the age of 17 and almost one in four had self-harmed in the previous year. The experts went on to say they fear the figures could rise as a result of the pandemic.
So, I want to do what I can to help Mental Health UK as it works tirelessly to provide much needed advice, information and support.
I will be running throughout March to hit my target of completing 100km. Initially, I had hoped to raise £200 for the charity but I’m thrilled to say I’ve already raised £650 in sponsorship. I think that shows how strongly people feel about mental health and I hope that even more people will get behind my fundraising efforts so we can make a difference to this fantastic charity. I’d urge anyone who can help to visit my JustGiving page
